Coming Full Circle

Chitra Balasubramaniam reflects on how custom tailoring, a practice prevalent in India for decades, is gaining newer ground today.

- Chitra Balasubramaniam

Not too long in the past, there was a time when most news pieces, features, and write-ups on retail spoke of how standardisation meant ease of buying clothes for customers; how it was possible to pick up the right size and simply go ahead and wear it, without turning to a neighbourhood tailor; how one could try a piece of clothing at a shop and buy it. Back then, the ease of purchase and standardisation was preferred widely for the entire spectrum of apparel. Today, however, just like the times that preceded our immediate past, there is a trend that emphasises the growing need for customisation in both Western wear as well as Indian ethnic wear. Customisation has great potential but is yet to take off completely owing to many factors, one of them being the lack of a comprehensive size chart for all Indian body types. Having said that, custom tailoring is slowly picking up pace all over again as more and more customers seem to be looking at this trend with a fresh eye. Has the Indian market come back full circle? It seems so, as even brands including Taneira, Raymond, and Binks have been actively pursuing customised tailoring options.

THE CONCEPT